A coaxial cable is a known type of electrical cable that may be used to carry radio frequency (“RF”) signals. Coaxial cables are widely used as transmission lines in cable television networks and/or to provide broadband Internet connectivity. Coaxial cables are also used in a wide variety of other applications such as, for example, interconnecting electrical equipment, connecting electrical equipment to antennas and the like. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a conventional coaxial cable 10 that has been partially cut apart to reveal its internal structure. As shown in FIG. 1, the coaxial cable 10 has a central conductor 12 that is surrounded by a dielectric insulator 14. A tape 16 may be bonded to the outside surface of the dielectric insulator 14. A metallic electrical shield 18 such as braided shielding wires surrounds the central conductor 12, dielectric insulator 14 and tape 16. One or more electrical shielding tapes (not shown in FIG. 1) may surround the metallic electrical shield 18. The central conductor 12, dielectric insulator 14, tape 16, electrical shield 18 and any electrical shielding tape are enclosed within a protective cable jacket 20.
The central conductor 12 of coaxial cable 10 may comprise, for example, a copper wire or a copper clad aluminum or steel wire. The central conductor 12 is designed to carry RF signals. Typically, a conductor such as central conductor 12 that carries RF or other high frequency signals acts as an antenna, and thus some of the signal energy is radiated from the conductor, resulting in signal loss or “attenuation.” Coaxial cables are designed to reduce such signal attenuation by placing the electrical shield 18 (which is connected to a ground reference) around the central conductor 12. As a result of this arrangement, the electromagnetic field of the RF signal that is carried by the central conductor 12 is generally trapped in the space inside the electrical shield 18, thereby greatly reducing signal radiation and associated signal attenuation losses.
Typically, each end of a coaxial cable is terminated with a male coaxial connector. The most common type of coaxial connectors are referred to in the art as “F-style” coaxial connectors. Female F-style coaxial connectors, which are often referred to as “connector ports” are commonly mounted on wall plates in homes and on various devices such as televisions, cable modems, splitters, signal amplifiers, tap units, ground blocks, etc. A typical female F-style connector port comprises an externally threaded cylindrical housing that includes an aperture on one end thereof that is configured to receive a protruding central conductor of a male F-style coaxial connector. A typical male F-style coaxial connector includes an internally-threaded nut which is threaded onto the externally-threaded housing of the female F-style coaxial connector port. A coaxial cable that includes a coaxial connector on at least one end thereof is referred to herein as a “terminated coaxial cable.” Terminated coaxial cables are used in a wide variety of applications including use as jumper cables, internal cabling within buildings, drop cables and the like.
FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a conventional male F-style coaxial connector 30. FIG. 3 is a side cross-sectional view of the male F-style coaxial connector 30 of FIG. 2. FIG. 4 illustrates the connector 30 of FIGS. 2-3 after it has been attached to an end of a coaxial cable 10 to produce a terminated coaxial cable.
As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the F-style coaxial connector 30 includes a body assembly 32, a compression sleeve 36 and an internally-threaded nut 38. The body assembly 32 includes a tubular connector body 33 and a contact post 34 (FIG. 3). In FIG. 2, the compression sleeve 36 is depicted in its “unseated” position in which it may receive a coaxial cable 10 that is to be terminated into the coaxial connector 30.
When the compression sleeve 36 of coaxial connector 30 is in its unseated position of FIG. 2, a coaxial cable such as cable 10 may be inserted axially into the compression sleeve 36 and the body assembly 32. The central conductor 12, dielectric insulator 14 and tape 16 of cable 10 (coaxial cable 10 is not depicted in FIGS. 2-3 to more clearly show the structure of the connector 30) are inserted axially into the inside diameter of the contact post 34, while the electrical shield 18, and the cable jacket 20 are inserted inside the tubular connector body 33 so as to circumferentially surround the outer surface of the contact post 34. The outside surface of the contact post 34 may include one or more serrations, teeth, lips or other retention structures 35 (see FIG. 3). Once the coaxial cable 10 is inserted into the coaxial connector 30 as described above, a compression tool may be used to forcibly axially insert the compression sleeve 36 further into the tubular connector body 33 into its “seated” position (see FIG. 4). Moving the compression sleeve 36 into its seated position decreases the radial gap between the tubular connector body 33 and the contact post 34 so as to radially impart a generally 360-degree circumferential compression force on the electrical shield 18 and the cable jacket 20 that circumferentially surround the outer surface of contact post 34. This compression, in conjunction with the retention structures 35 on the outside surface of the contact post 34, applies a retention force to the coaxial cable 10 that firmly holds the coaxial cable 10 within the coaxial connector 30. As shown in FIG. 4, the central conductor 12 of the coaxial cable 10 extends into the internal cavity of the internally-threaded nut 38 to serve as the male protrusion of the coaxial connector 30.
As noted above, male F-style coaxial connectors are used to mechanically and electrically attach a coaxial cable such as coaxial cable 10 to a female connector port. Connector boxes adapted to have a coaxial antenna lead-in cable as well as the coaxial or other type of cables for several receivers interconnected therewithin are already known and are conventionally referred to as “splitters” or “splitter boxes”. Within such splitters, the individual conductors of the several cables are generally interconnected through electronic circuit components of one type or another for purposes such as those already mentioned. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a conventional F-style female connector port 40 that is used on conventional splitters, ground blocks, amplifiers, and the like. FIG. 6 illustrates a conventional coaxial cable splitter 50 having the female connector ports 40 of FIG. 5.
As shown in FIG. 5, the female connector port 40 may comprise a cylindrical housing 41 that has a plurality of external threads 42. The distal face 44 of the cylindrical housing 41 includes an aperture 46. A central conductor 48 (barely visible in FIG. 5) runs longitudinally through the center of the female connector port 40. The internally-threaded nut 38 of a mating male F-style coaxial connector 30 is inserted over, and threaded onto the external threads 42 of the female connector port 40 so that the central conductor 12 of the coaxial cable 10 that is attached to the coaxial connector 30 is received within the aperture 46. The central conductor 48 of female connector port 40 is configured to receive the central conductor 12 of the mating male F-style coaxial connector 30, thereby electrically connecting the central conductors 12, 48. Once the internally-threaded nut 38 is fully threaded onto the external threads 42 of the female connector port 40, the distal face 44 of the female connector port 40 is brought into mechanical and electrical contact with the base 34b (FIG. 3) of the contact post 34, thereby providing a ground plane connection between the body assembly 32 of coaxial connector 30 and the housing 41 of the female connector port 40.
When summoned to fix a problem with a cable television subscriber's service, technicians may not take the time to trouble-shoot various connections associated with a drop. Instead, the technicians may cut the F-style coaxial connectors off of the coaxial cables and throw away any splitters, couplers, or other devices. Unfortunately, this practice increases costs to cable television service providers. Moreover, this practice is wasteful in many cases because otherwise good connectors and/or devices are being thrown away.